Double Trouble: Senior Year
by KRudzik
Summary: This story picks up where Double Trouble: A Berry Corcoran Summer left off. The twins are now back at McKinley and are ready for their senior year. Things will be interesting as they adjust to being at McKinley with Shelby as well as deciding what they want to do once they graduate.
1. Chapter 1

_A/n: So this is the third installment of Double Trouble, a story that I started years ago. This story picks up Senior year for twins Kennedy and Rachel and it follows them through what could just be their toughest year yet. This is a story that I want to finish for myself so regardless of feedback or reviews I will post as I finish so those people who have wanted a conclusion to the story may have one, as I might as well. So I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think if that pleases you!_

 _\- Katie_

* * *

 ** _Kennedy's POV:_**

"So mom just picked up and moved you guys back here?" Rachel asked and I nodded.

"Pretty much, I mean it's a little more complicated than that but for the most part yeah." I said as I flipped through my English book trying to find where my assignment was located.

"And by more complicated you mean that she got a coaching job McKinley that paid more then she was making." Rachel said and I sighed.

"Are you really that mad about it?" I asked and Rachel sighed.

"I don't know. I mean I should be because she is coaching the competition."

"She has always coached the competition." I corrected.

"Not really." Rachel said and I rolled my eyes as I got up and grabbed scrapbook off the bottom shelf and threw it at her.

"Exhibit a." I said as she flipped through the book.

"Is this a scrapbook from your time on VA?" Rachel asked with a smirk and I nodded.

"Yeah, Jesse sent it to us a couple of weeks ago. I think that was part of the reason mom even took this job, she won't admit it but she missed coaching kids."

"Oh my god mom looks so angry in this photo." Rachel said as she turned the scrapbook so I could see it.

"That is because she was."

"Why?" Rachel asked.

"Probably because someone wasn't listening to me." Mom said from the doorway where she stood with Beth on her hip.

"And by someone you mean Kennedy?" Rachel asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Why does it always have to be my fault?" I asked and Rachel gave me a look.

"Because it usually is." Rachel stated and mom laughed.

"Regardless dinner is on the table and your dads are waiting." Mom said and Rachel and I got up and followed her down to the makeshift dining room where Hiram and Liam were seated talking amongst themselves.

For the most part dinner was really nice. Beth got spoiled with attention from Rachel's dads, which she loved, and Rachel and mom got to talk and catch up.

"So girls we want to talk to both of you about a few things." Mom finally said and I looked over at Rachel who had a look of dread wash over her face.

"Oh my gosh, you're going to tell me that you're leaving again." Rachel said in a panic.

"Rachel stop being so dramatic." Hiram said and I couldn't help but laugh earning a glare from our mom.

"No Rachel, we aren't leaving again. What we wanted to talk to both of you about was that your dads and I think that we need to work out a plan where you girls will be able to spend time with all of us." Mom said and Rachel leaned forward.

"Wait as in like shared custody?" Rachel asked and everyone nodded.

"Exactly like that." Hiram said.

"That is great and all but I really don't want to be moving from house to house all the time." I stated and mom sighed as she looked at the Berrys.

"I knew that would be a problem. Look this system isn't going to be perfect by any means but we only have this year to get to know you both and we want to spend as much time with you guys as we can." Mom said and I rolled my eyes.

"Well if thats the case why don't we all just move in together?" I joked and Hiram, Liam, and Rachel all looked at each other. "I was just joking." I quickly added.

"You know we do have those empty rooms Hiram."

"Yeah but we would still be a room short..."

"Not if we cleared out my trophy room daddy, we could just move them back down to the basement." Rachel added.

"You are all nuts." I stated and Rachel gave me a look.

"Come on Kennedy this would be great!" She stated and I shook my head.

"Yeah, not so much Rach."

"Regardless of what Kennedy thinks, we couldn't impose on you guys like that. We'll just find a house or a bigger condo near McKinley-"

"It wouldn't be imposing, plus with how much Hiram and I work it would be great to have another adult in the house that we can trust to watch Rachel."

"We couldn't-"

"We insist. After everything that we put you through Shelby this is the least that we could do."

"I need some time to think about, but I won't rule it out."

"That's all we ask."

"But until I figure all that out Kennedy, you and Rachel will be staying with your fathers until Sunday afternoon when we will all meet up and discuss this arrangement further." Mom said and I sent her a scathing look.

"I haven't even unpacked." I protested and my mom sent me a stern look.

"Then your stuff is ready to go then."

"Shelby if she doesn't want to come-"

"She's going, right Kennedy?" Shelby not so much as asked as commanded.

"Right." I said as I watched Hiram and Liam's faces light up with smiles.

Now that dinner was over Rachel took her fathers and Beth into the other room while I helped my mom with the dishes.

"So why don't you want to go?" My mom asked as she handed me a plate to put in the dishwasher.

"It's not really that I don't want to go." I said and my mom stopped what she was doing and gave me her full attention.

"Then what is it?" She asked and I sighed knowing that there was a good chance that she wouldn't understand what I was about to tell her.

"I-I just don't know them. I mean yes I have spent some time with them, but not enough to feel comfortable staying there more than one night." I said and my mom smiled.

"That's why we're doing this Ken."

"I also don't like being away from you, especially when I don't know the people that I am going to be with. It's just- they didn't want me mom, they wanted Rachel." I said close to tears and my mom pulled me into a hug.

"Baby it's not that they didn't want you-"

"There is nothing that you can tell me that will make that fact any different. I wasn't planned and in the end they gave me to you because they didn't want me."

"Ken-"

"I just need a minute." I said as I left the kitchen and headed into my bedroom.

This was something that I had been dealing with since Rachel first showed up. I wasn't planned and in the end they took only what they wanted and pushed me onto my mother who really wasn't ready for a child. I think that is where a lot of our problems stem from, even though she would never admit it, there is a small part of my mother that resents me. She never got to be on broadway because she was stuck raising a child that she did not plan for, and never really wanted.

Rachel was, and still is, the golden child. She never struggled to get good grades, she could sing like nobody's business, and she had our entire family wrapped around her little finger. God even my mom wanted to find her after all this time, she had me but she wanted the perfect child she never got. I mean at least with Rachel there was nothing to resent, Rachel was our mom's final shot at broadway.

I couldn't resent Rachel though, she had nothing to do with this. None of this was her fault, she was a victim of situation in all of this. Had I of been born first I would have been Rachel and none of this would have mattered. Mom would have gotten her perfect daughter, the Berry's would of had an acceptable daughter, and life would have been simple; well until I was eighteen.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" My mom asked from the doorway breaking me from my thoughts.

"It doesn't matter." I said as she made her way over to my bed and took a seat next to me.

"It does matter Kennedy, now what is going on?" She asked and I wasn't sure what to say. I mean how do you tell your mother that you feel unwanted, not unloved, but like a burden to everyone.

"When you first started the surrogacy thing, you didn't want a child right?" I asked and my mom nodded.

"When I first started all I wanted was an easy way to get the money to try my dream out in New York, I never envisioned myself getting attached to you girls like I did." My mom said and I rolled my eyes. I wasn't known about so there was no way that she could have really been attached to me.

"Then why did you sign those papers?" I asked and she sighed.

"Because I knew in my heart that the Berry's would provide better for my children than I ever could. I was a child myself I wasn't ready for a baby."

"Then why keep me? Why not put my up for adoption and do what was best for me?" I asked and she shook her head.

"That was never an option, if they didn't want you then I was the next best thing for you. I never wanted you to feel like you weren't wanted, from the moment that you were born you were wanted very much Kennedy."

"Not by the Berrys and you were just stuck with me, that doesn't really scream that I was wanted." I said and my mom sighed.

"Well then I don't know what to tell you Ken. You were very wanted but if you don't believe me then there is nothing that I can say to make you change your mind." My mom said as she stood up from my bed. "But you should get a good nights sleep because after school tomorrow you and Rachel are going to your father's house until Sunday."

"I thought that I was suppose to go over there tonight." I said slightly confused about the changed plans.

"That was the original plan but there was no way that I was going to let you go over there when you are feeling this way. Now the Berrys and Rachel are about to go so we need to go say goodnight." My mom said and I sighed as I got up and she followed me back downstairs.

We said goodbye to everyone with promises of me joining them tomorrow and then my mom went to go give Beth her bath while I went and sat down with my english book so I could finish my homework, well that was until I started looking through the VA scrapbook which led to me grabbing an old photo album that was thrown onto a shelf as my mom was unpacking.

"Did you get your homework done?" My mom asked as she came and sat down next to me.

"Yeah I was just looking through an old photo album." I said as my mom pulled me into her side and rested her head on my shoulder.

"This is my favorite album, that picture was taken the day you were born. Your grandparents were going nuts with excitement, of course they were also a little in shock that you existed, but the Sargent was going insane with the camera. You were the cutest little baby ever." My mom said as she gushed over the photos of me swaddled in the hospital blanket in numerous people's arms.

"You just let anyone hold me huh?" I asked and she shook her head.

"I didn't let anyone hold you, all of these photos were taken while I was taking a nap. My mother stole you out of the nursery to take all these pictures with everyone, I was so pissed when I woke up." My mom said with a laugh and I just leaned back into her and she wrapped her arms around me.

"I never felt unloved mom, I just don't feel like I am wanted all the time. You know if it weren't for you having to raise me you could have made it on broadway-"

"Ken, there would have been no broadway for me if I had to get over losing Rachel and losing you. I mean for the first few months I barely functioned enough to take care of you and myself and that was just over losing Rachel, if it weren't for you I don't know what would have happened to me." My mom said as she planted a few kisses to the top of my head.

"That still doesn't change the fact that you didn't really want me." I said as I looked up at her and she shrugged.

"Honestly at that point in my life, no I didn't think that I wanted kids and then there was you. I held you in my arms and I looked down at this little baby that was dependent on me and I knew that you were meant to be mine. No it wasn't the timing that I had planned but when I was ready to have more children I learned that I couldn't and I was more thankful for you than ever. You were always meant to be mine Kennedy, there is no doubt in my mind about that."

"So you don't ever think about what could have happened for you if you put me up for adoption?" I asked and she shook her head.

"Never. I mean don't get me wrong there were times I wanted to throttle you for your behavior but I never ever thought of what my life would have been like without you. Broadway was just never in my cards but you were my dear. Your fathers gifted you to me and I can't be mad at them for that. I don't think that it was that they didn't want you, I think they knew taking you too would break me completely. It was hard enough for them to take Rachel away from me and then there was you and I think that they could tell by the look on my face that I needed you, and that you needed me."

"I'm not sure if I believe you, but thank you."

"You're welcome, now are you going to join my glee club?" My mom asked and I shook my head.

"Nope."

"Are you joining the New Directions?" She asked and I shook my head again.

"Nope. There is one thing that I have learned since Rachel has come into our lives and that is to not come into a fight between you and her." I said with a smile and my mom just rolled her eyes.

"You know I could make you join my team." She said and I nodded.

"I know that, but you won't."

"And how are you so sure of that?" She asked and I shrugged.

"I'm not sure but you wouldn't want Rachel to hate you." I said and my mom messed with my hair.

"We'll see how my recruiting goes, but I have made one decision about the new group."

"And what is that?"

"It's going to be an all female group, and win or lose you, Beth, and I are in Lima for the year. Now go get ready for bed." My mom said as she let go of me and got to her feet.

"Mom, Beth just went to bed, it's still really early." I whined and she gave me a look.

"Shower, change, and get in bed. I will be there in a little bit to check on you." She said as she pulled me to my feet and pushed of off towards the bathroom.

It took about twenty minutes for me to make my way back to my room where my mother was sitting on my bed waiting for me.

"Come here, I want to braid your hair." She said as she patted the spot next to her on the bed.

"I'm not five." I whined but she gave me a look that guided me to the bed where she wanted me to sit.

"I know you're not five, but you have really pretty hair and I've been wanting to braid it for a while, now sit still." She said and I knew better than to protest while she had a chunk of my hair in her hands.

It took a little while for her to finish braiding my hair and once it was done she had me get under my covers and then she snuggled with me and pulled out the photo album that I had been looking at earlier.

"You know you were a cute kid when you were younger, what happened?" My mom joked and I glared at her for a moment.

"That's not funny." I said and she kissed my forehead.

"Yes it is. Plus you're still my cute little Kenny-Bear." My mom said in the voice that she talked to Beth in.

"Mom!" I whined and she just put the album aside and then started to tickle me.

"You know you are my little Kenny-Bear, you always have been my little Kenny-Bear, admit it." My mom said as she started to tickle me more and I knew that unless I consented to what she was saying there would be no stopping this madness.

"I've always been your little Kenny-Bear, now stop!" I said and she stopped tickling me and smiled.

"Why don't we do this more often?" She asked and I shrugged.

"Between Beth and Rachel there just hasn't been a lot of time for us lately, and I bet there has been even less time for you and Rachel. I mean lets face it, she adores you."

"Do you think I can get her to join my glee club?" She asked and I shook my head.

"There is no way that is going to happen, that girl is loyal."

"I guess you're right. So what are you going to do with your free afternoons?"

"I don't know, maybe I'll become a cheerleader." I joked and my mom gave me a look.

"Over my dead body will one of my daughters waste their talents in a mini skirt as they cheer on barbarians fighting over a leather ball."

"Hey one of those talent wasters gave you a daughter, lets not forget that." I said just to push my mom a little farther.

"Yet another reason why you will not become a cheerleader."

"Oh come on, you and I both know that cheerleading is not something that I am interested in." I said and my mom nodded.

"I know but you are blowing off the one thing that you are interested in, and you like to push my buttons." She said and I sighed.

"What can I say, when you get gray hair I want to look at you and know that I caused it." I joked.

"Don't worry the gray hair will be from you, there is no doubt about it." She said with a smile.

"So are we going to look at the photo album you brought in or what?" I asked and she nodded as she picked up the album and opened to the first page.

My mom and I looked through the entire album and when we were done my mom set it aside and turned off the lights before she returned to my bed and got under the covers with me.

"You have your own bed." I mumbled as I closed my eyes.

"I know but it's not very often that I get to be with you like this when you aren't sick." My mom said and I sighed.

"We could do this more often if you weren't shipping me off to my dads'." I said but she just let out a small laugh as she shook her head.

"First off I am not shipping you anywhere and secondly you should get to know them Kennedy just like Rachel should get to know me better."

"Mom, Rachel knows you, and I don't want to be forced to do something I don't want to do."

"No one is forcing you-"

"Then I don't have to go?"

"You have to go but I am not forcing you to get to know them."

"Then why do I have to go?" I asked and she sighed.

"Because if you have to go I am hoping that you will at least take the time to get to know them instead of sulk in your room."

"I don't sulk." I corrected and my mom just laughed.

"Whatever you say, now go to sleep."

"Night mom."

"Night Ken, I love you."

"I know."

"Brat."

"I love you too mom."


	2. Chapter 2

**Rachel's POV:**

I could tell that Kennedy was dreading going to my dads' house. I could only guess that she was feeling the same way that I felt the first time I stayed at our mom's. Our dads were not oblivious to this fact either. The last time and only time that Kennedy had spent the night she was in a major fight with our mom and had no where else to go. That was why they were in the midst of planning a night full of activities to get to know Kennedy better. It was now my job to just get her to trust that things were going to be okay. That was easier said than done with her.

"Look Rachel, I don't really want to be bothered tonight. I got a late start to the school year and I have a lot to catch up on. I just think that it might be best if I just study at the library tonight and grab something to eat on one of my study breaks." Kennedy said, trying her best to get out of spending time with everyone.

"Kenny, you and I both know that you are way ahead of where we are at McKinley so you can cut the crap." I said in my sweetest voice.

"Please don't call me Kenny. I can barely stand it when mom does that and I don't need you starting with me." She said, clearly agitated.

"Fine, but please just give our dads a chance. You had no problems when you spent the night with them last time and I know that was under different circumstances, but they adore you Kennedy." I pleaded and Kennedy let out a sigh.

"Things were just so weird last time I was there. I mean I was fighting with mom and now they know that I don't really get along with her the best, it's just awkward."

"Kennedy, I fight with my dads all the time, they get it. I mean when we compare my storm outs to your storm outs, you have nothing on me." I said with a bright smile.

"I'll try my best." Kennedy finally relented.

"Thank you! I promise you will not regret this. So I have glee after school and you are more than welcome to join." I said trying to get Kennedy to choose New Directions over our mother's group.

"Yeah, I don't think so, but nice try." Kennedy said and I sighed.

"It was worth a shot. So what are you going to do while I am in glee?" I asked and Kennedy shrugged.

"I haven't figured that all out yet. I was hoping to look around and see what I could find to interest me. I mean McKinley has a lot to offer and I haven't really been able to choose what I wanted to do before." Kennedy said and I nodded.

"Well as long as you don't try to audition for the role of Maria you can do as you wish." I said and Kennedy smirked.

"Don't worry about it, I wouldn't dare to steal your thunder." Kennedy said and I nodded.

"Yeah I didn't see you doing that. Okay, so I have to run but you will meet me after?"

"Of course. Mom wants me to stop by before we leave but other than that I will follow you to your house.."

"Then I will text you when I am done and we can meet up and then go see mom." I said before I gave Kennedy a quick hug and ran off to the choir room.

Glee rehearsal wasn't that long today being as most of the club was auditioning for West Side Story. We took the time that we had left in rehearsal and went to work on our pieces for our audition.

Luckily I was able to get the stage to myself to rehearse. I needed to be able to sing in the place I was auditioning before I actually auditioned tomorrow. My head was in a thousand places at the moment, so much so that I didn't even notice Shelby walk on to the stage as I ran through the song in my head.

"Hey, what's going on?" Shelby asked and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Holy Cow mother, you can't just sneak up on someone like that." I said as I placed my hand over my racing heart.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were so lost in thought. What song are you singing for your audition?" She asked and I handed the sheet music over to her.

"I just want this role so bad mom, but Mercedes is really good. I'm just scared that I won't get this role and then what? I've worked so hard these past few years to prove that I'm not a joke and if I don't get this role, then it was all for nothing." I said and Shelby shook her head.

"You know that is not true Rach. I think that you and Mercedes auditioning for the same role is good for both of you. This is pushing both of you to get better and your glee club will be better because of it."

"Speaking of glee clubs, how is your club going?" I asked and Shelby shook her head.

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"So it's not going?" I asked and she nodded.

"It's a lot harder to recruit than I thought. I had a line out the door for people to sign up to be on Vocal Adrenaline, but here I have a hard time even keeping the sign up list posted." Shelby said and I shrugged.

"I tried to tell you that glee club isn't held in as high esteem here as it is at Carmel. If you need to you can have Kennedy join, I won't hold it against either of you." I said and Shelby smiled.

"Thank you for that, but I think that for the moment I am going to let Kennedy see what she likes to do. It's her senior year and to be honest, she doesn't know what she wants to do when she graduates and part of that is because I have pushed her to do things that she isn't sure she likes. I need her to find something and soon, but I may take you up on that offer if things don't pick up." Shelby said and I smiled.

"Good. Would you mind maybe helping me with my audition piece? I mean you are here anyway and I could use the pointers." I said and Shelby smiled.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Shelby helped me work on the piece for about half an hour before we both agreed that I was ready. When we were finished I sent a text to Kennedy telling her to meet us in Shelby's classroom.

"What are your plans for tonight? Knowing your dads, they have to be planning something big being as this is the first night that Kennedy will be staying with them without being forced into it." Shelby said and I laughed.

"You know my dads really well. They are trying to plan something very Kennedy, so sort of low key."

"Good, I hope that Kennedy goes in and tries to enjoy it. Lord knows that she needs this as much as your dads do."

"Yeah well she said that she would at least try."

Shelby and as we walked into her class only to see Kennedy sitting at the piano messing around in a bright red Cheerios uniform.

"Um, hi." I said as we walked into the room and Kennedy stood up.

"So, I can explain."

* * *

 **Kennedy's POV:**

I felt like I had grown two heads with the way my mom and Rachel were looking at me. Granted they had a good reason to do so, I was wearing a cheerleading uniform when I had claimed that I would never become a cheerleader, but this team was so close to what Vocal Adrenaline was. The coach was intense, they won, and the routines were more along the lines of a VA routine than a typical cheerleading routine.

"You're wearing a cheerleading uniform so you better start explaining." My mom said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Well I was sort of wandering around after school when I stumbled upon the Cheerio's practice. I don't know, there was something about it that felt right. Coach Sylvester had me try a few things and by the end of it I was handed a uniform, no questions asked." I said seeing that what I said was having no effect on my mother's mood.

"I thought I was pretty clear last night when I said no cheerleading."

"Yes, but I could get a scholarship to attend college for doing this. I'm good." I said as my mother took her hands and ran them through her hair.

"You could get a scholarship for singing or dancing. You don't even need a scholarship for college, I have a very large college fund for you. I just don't understand this, you have so much talent and cheerleading is such a waste." My mom said and I shrugged.

"I think I like it."

"I just can't with you right now. We will have a discussion about this-"

"When? I won't be seeing you again really until Sunday." I said with a growing smirk being as my mother's plan was backfiring on her big time right now.

With that being said I grabbed my bag from behind her desk, placed a kiss on her cheek, and then walked out of the room. It was a second later that I heard Rachel running up to me and I couldn't wipe the smirk off my face.

"Why are you doing this to her?" Rachel asked and I shrugged.

"I'm not doing anything, I think I might actually like this." I said and Rachel groaned.

"You cannot even deny that you are getting some sort of sick satisfaction out of torturing our mother like this."

"I'm not going to say that being able to do so it a perk, but I want to try this Rachel. I know that this seems spur of the moment and it is, but the Cheerios operate close to what I am used to and I sort of need that right now." I said trying to show my reasoning for going against our mother.

"You're going to hate it." Rachel said and I nodded.

"I could, and if that happens I am sure that you and mom will never let me forget it, but it also may work out."

With that Rachel and I got into our separate cars and drove towards our dads house. There was a small part of me that wished my mother would have blown a gasket and demanded that I went home so we could talk, but that didn't happen so I was now going to have to get to know my fathers.

I parked behind Rachel in the driveway and then followed her inside. As we opened the door I was hit with the overwhelming smell of tacos and I was in love. I knew that the whole situation was sucky, but it was great that they made my favorite meal in order to make me feel comfortable.

"Rachel, Kennedy, is that you?" I heard one of our fathers call.

"Yes Daddy, we just got home." Rachel said as she dumped her bag by the door and walked into the living room.

"Kennedy, it's great to see you again. Here let us take your bag." Liam said as he stood up and I shook my head as I clutched my bag closer.

"It's okay, you really don't have to do that." I said with a nervous smile.

"Liam, don't bombard her. Kennedy, why don't you head up to your room and get ready for dinner?" Hiram said and I nodded before I followed Rachel upstairs.

"So our dads figured that you would feel more comfortable in the guest room you stayed in last time. They made a few changes so you feel like home. Our dads room is on the first floor and if Shelby were to move in there are two rooms at the end of the hall that her and Beth could have." Rachel said ranting a little bit.

"That is a far fetched if but it's good to know." I said seeing just how much Rachel and her fathers had thought out the whole Shelby and I moving in here.

"Well, as soon as you are ready to head down to dinner just let me know and I will go down with you." Rachel said before she went into her room and I opened the door to my new room.

The walls had been pained a lilac purple and there was a white bedroom set placed inside. For the most part the room was bare, but it was nice and I sort of liked it.

I put my things away and then changed into a pair of sweats before I went over and knocked on Rachel's door to let her know that I was ready to go down for dinner. Rachel emerged a moment later wearing something similar to what I was dressed in and then the two of us headed down to where her dads were eagerly waiting.

"So Kennedy, we noticed that you were wearing a Cheerios uniform, are you now a cheerleader?" Hiram asked and I nodded as I sat down on the couch next to Rachel.

"I just joined this afternoon. I just want to try something new now that glee is sort of out of the picture."

"Speaking of which, I talked to mom earlier and I told her that you are more than welcome to join her team." Rachel said and I nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind. So do I smell tacos?" I asked and Liam and Hiram both nodded with a smile.

"Rachel told us that they might be your favorite." Hiram said.

"Well they are and they smell wonderful."

"In that case, why don't we go ahead and get some dinner and then we can talk some more." Liam said ushering us all into the dining room where the table was set.

Dinner was nice. The four of us were able to talk without interruptions from a toddler or any bickering between me and my mom. It was different but I could get used to it.

After dinner Rachel and Liam went and cleaned up the dishes while Hiram and I went to the living room to talk some more. He shared funny stories about Rachel growing up and I was able to tell him more about my childhood and what life was like living with Shelby. Of course I left a few things out from my story, specifically things about last summer. The four of us spent most of the evening talking and I had to admit by the end of the night I was feeling more comfortable than I thought was possible. Things with the Berrys was easy and just comfortable. Plus they seemed to be supportive about be joining the cheerleading team, something I knew my mother was not.

After a while of talking, Liam and Hiram let me retire to my room to shower and get ready for my first practice in the morning.

When I got to my room I went ahead and check my phone, only to see that my mom didn't text me which was unusual. I knew that she was probably mad about the cheerleading thing but she usually would have pushed that aside being as I wasn't home with her. I let it go for the moment and went ahead and showered. When I was done I decided to go ahead and give her a call. The phone rang a few times before there was finally an answer.

"Hey baby." My mom said and I couldn't help but smile.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked and there was a short pause.

"I don't know, I think I am more confused than anything else. At the end of the day it's your decision, I just wished you would have talked to me before you made that commitment."

"It's just a trial run. I told coach Sylvester that I wasn't completely sold on the idea. She just gave me the uniform and told me to try it for the week, if I decided against it I could walk away with no hard feelings."

"Well that makes me feel a little better." My mom said and I smiled.

"I knew it would. So Rachel told me that you both agreed that I could join your glee club."

"She did? I was sure that was a joking when she said that this afternoon. Hmm."

"Yeah well I still am not sure I want to pick sides just yet but I do have some time after school so I will keep that offer in mind."

"Good. How is Rachel? Is she nervous about her audition tomorrow?"

"We were talking about that earlier and she said that after she worked with you this afternoon she feels a lot better about it. Honestly I hope that she gets it so I don't have to deal with her moping around here."

"Well aren't you a supportive sister. Hey would you want to meet with me for breakfast tomorrow? I was thinking that we could do a good luck breakfast for Rachel." My mom said and I sighed.

"I have rehearsal in the morning so I can't but I am sure that Rachel would love to meet with you."

"Oh, well have her text me and we can go over details." My mom said and I could hear the sadness in her voice that I couldn't be there.

"Hey, I was thinking that maybe you and Beth could come over for dinner tomorrow. I mean I will have to check with Liam and Hiram first, but I am sure that they would be okay with it."

"I mean I would be up for it, but of course you would have to check with them first. So are you okay?" My mom and and I smiled.

"I think I am. We spent a lot of the night talking which I think was good, oh and they made the best tacos ever. They can really cook mom." I gushed.

"Well I am happy to hear that things are going well." My mom said, but I knew that she was a little bummed I wasn't begging her to come get me.

"So I have to get up early in the morning so I should get to bed."

"Alright, I love you kid, and please have Rachel text me in the morning."

"I will, love you too mom." I said before I hung up the phone and then texted Rachel to tell her about the breakfast mom wanted to have.

I took a minute or two before I was able to wind down and fall asleep. I was just happy that things weren't so awkward.

* * *

 _A/n: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, life things just sort of picked up and got in the way of everything. I am hoping that I will be able to find time to continue with my stories in a more timely manner._


	3. Chapter 3

I was a little sad that Kennedy couldn't join Rachel and I for breakfast. In all honesty I really missed her being here. I wasn't the only one, Beth had been asking for Kennedy all morning and I had no answer to give the poor kid. Luckily that all stopped when Maria showed up and distracted Beth so I could slip out of the house to meet with Rachel.

Rachel had texted me last night and asked me to meet her at a local diner just a short drive away from the school. I could tell that she was anxious about her audition today by the number of times she tried to move the breakfast earlier but I couldn't let her do that to herself.

When I got to the diner, I could see that Rachel had been there for a while. When I arrived she shot up from her seat and then waited for me to walk over to her.

"It's about time you got here, we are not going to have enough time to eat now." Rachel stated and I rolled my eyes.

"We are going to have plenty of time. Your audition isn't until after school and you still have an hour and a half before the first bell rings to tell you to go to class. You're going to be fine." I said trying to reassure Rachel but there was no talking sense into this child today.

"This isn't about me being on time. I want to be early, directors notice those type of things and Artie is always watching." Rachel said and I just smiled and nodded to appease her.

"So do you know what you want to order?" I asked and she nodded.

"They have some really good vegan pancakes and their tea isn't completely terrible." Rachel said and I nodded as I flagged down the waitress.

After we ordered I allowed Rachel a good five minutes to ramble on and on about her audition and how she was perfect for the role before I forced her to stop talking about it. It wasn't that I didn't agree with her or that I didn't want to support her, it was more of the fact I just wanted to talk about other things.

"What are your plans for college?" I asked knowing that Kennedy was completely lost with that decision.

"Well I have an audition for NYADA coming up soon. That really is my top choice and if it were up to me I wouldn't even apply anywhere else but my dads don't think that is a good idea. They want me to have at least three safe schools but if I am being honest if I don't get into NYADA, I'm not going to college." Rachel said and I was dumbfounded.

"So NYADA or bust?" I asked and Rachel nodded.

"Pretty much." She stated with a huge smile.

"Rachel, I don't think that is the best plan." I said, immediately regretting it.

"Why are you and my dads trying to ruin my dream? I am going to get into NYADA but only if I have the proper support system behind me."

"Rachel, I will always be there to support you and I think that you have a great chance of getting into NYADA, but I also know from experience that things don't always go as planned. That being said, I would be more than happy to work on your audition with you so that you have the best chance possible to get into the school of your dreams." I said and I could see Rachel relax a little.

"That would be amazing. Thank you."

"Well if I am being honest, I'm not just doing it to help you, I have my own selfish reasons." I said with a wink.

"And what would those be? You must know that spying on my audition will not help you with your glee club." Rachel ranted and I let out a small laugh.

"I know that. What I was trying to say was that by helping you with your audition I get to spend some one on one time with you, and to be honest, we don't get a lot of that between Beth and Kennedy." I said and Rachel smiled.

"I guess we don't do we? You know, this whole living situation is weird. Kennedy is trying to get to know my dads and I am trying to get to know you, but we are only spending half the amount of time with each of you. I honestly think things would be easier if you just moved into our house." Rachel rambled and I shook my head.

"I'm thinking about it but I have to see what is going to be best. I don't want to move in and have things be incredibly awkward. Your dads and I are getting along but I don't want to push things and have them turn bad." I said trying to tell Rachel some of my concerns about her dads whole plan.

"I think that there is plenty of space for everyone. My dads just redid their master bedroom and placed it downstairs which leaves three rooms open upstairs now that we moved my trophy room. It would be great."

"I just don't know Rachel."

"Think some more about it and then really look around tonight when you come over for dinner." Rachel said peaking my interest.

"Your dads agreed to have Beth and I over for dinner?" I asked and she nodded.

"Of course. Kennedy could ask for just about anything right now and they would give it to her. Speaking of which, has Kennedy ever wanted a pony because I have and I think if she asked they would get her one."

"You and Kennedy are not getting a pony, we still have the two puppies you both don't really take care of." I said reminding her of Ava and Maria.

"Yeah but you can't ride a puppy, you can however ride a pony." Rachel said trying to make a case.

"No pony."

"You're no fun." Rachel said as the waitress came and set our plates of food in front of us.

Rachel and I were relatively silent while we ate. Rachel brought up the pony a few more times before she dropped it. I was just hoping that she didn't bring the pony up to Kennedy or we were going to be taking care of two puppies and a pony.

When we were finished eating Rachel and I agreed that we should start heading towards the school. Rachel went ahead and left while I paid the bill for breakfast. On the way to school I called Maria and asked if she would be able to get Beth ready for tonight so when I came home I could grab her and go being as I was not exactly sure when I would get home. Needless to say I was beyond happy to be seeing Kennedy tonight.

As soon as I stepped into the building Sugar Motta found me and started to hound me about how recruiting for the club was going. I knew that when I took the position I was going to be in for it with her father paying my salary, but I never imagined it would be this bad. What made it worse was that we walked right by Kennedy and I was unable to even say hi to her because of the annoying child telling me how she deserved the solos when more people joined.

"And I think that it would just be unfair if someone else got the solo. I mean I was the first and founding member of this glee club. I even had my dad find you and bring you back all the way from New York."

"Sugar, you know my reputation. I was the coach of the most winning glee club and if I want to maintain that title then I will pick the strongest performers we have to solo. Now I have to get to class and I will see you after school." I finally snapped before I made my way to my classroom leaving the girl dumbfounded behind me.

The only part of this job at McKinley that really sucked was that I had to teach History during the day in order to be hired as a full-time teacher. Don't get me wrong, I love history, I just hated the kids that didn't want to do anything which was a little over half of the school.

Luckily I was able to make it through the day without really wanting to strangle any of the kids. I knew that given time this job would get to be more enjoyable especially as more and more kids learned to fear me. I was able to get done with Sugar just in time to run in and make it for Rachel's audition. I stood backstage where she couldn't see me. I wanted to be there for her when she was done but I didn't want her to freak out because I was right in her face.

Rachel's audition was flawless and honestly I was sure the part was hers, that was until I heard Mercedes take the stage. Granted, she was no Rachel, but still she brought something to the part as well. I was just glad that I was not the director who had to choose between these two.

"Mom!" Rachel said as soon as she saw me outside of the auditorium.

"Hey, I heard your audition, you were great!" I said and she rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't as good as Mercedes mom, I lost the part. I worked so hard, this was all I wanted. There is no way that I am going to get into NYADA now. I mean who would want someone who can't even get the lead part in a school production." Rachel started to sob.

"Oh baby." I said as I pulled her into me. "Your hard work will pay off. I promise you that, you did not blow that audition. Yes, Mercedes was good and it is going to be close but win or lose you were great." I said as I lightly rubbed circles on her back.

"You really think so?" Rachel asked as she looked up at me with her large brown eyes.

"I wouldn't say it if it weren't true. Do you still have glee rehearsal?" I asked and Rachel shook her head.

"No, most of glee is auditioning for the show so Mr. Schue cancelled rehearsal today."

"Then would you want to come over and hang out with me and Beth for a little while before we go to dinner at your place?" I asked and Rachel's face lit up.

"Seriously?" She asked and I nodded.

"Of course. Kennedy is doing whatever she is doing and I think that it would be good for you and Beth to spend some time together."

"No offense mom, but Beth isn't the best company. I mean she is alright for her age but she isn't on my level." Rachel said and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, well I think you two can survive an afternoon together." I said as I wrapped my arm around Rachel shuffling her in the direction of our cars.

Rachel got into her car and followed me to the small apartment where I was currently residing. She set her bags by the front door and kicked off her shoes before she made her way into the living room where Beth and Maria were.

"Hey, sorry about not letting you know I was going to be home early." I said to Maria as I laid my bags down in the kitchen.

"It's not a problem. I haven't been able to get her ready for your dinner yet, I hope that is okay." Maria said as she stood up.

"Yeah, that is perfectly fine. Thank you for doing all of this. I know that I sort of just called you out of the blue to start watching her again, but Beth really loves you."

"Well I am fond of her too. Plus I really missed her when you moved so I was happy when you called."

"Alright, I'll have your check for you on Friday." I said and Maria nodded as she walked towards the door.

"Bye Beth, bye Rachel!"

"Bye Maria." Rachel responded from where she was seated on the couch texting someone.

I closed and locked the door behind Maria and then went to go join the girls in the living room. Beth was lost in playing with a couple of her stuffed animals while Rachel was glued to her phone, well that was until I took it from her.

"Hey!" Rachel protested as I slipped the phone into my back pocket.

"You can get this back later. Now we have about an hour and a half before we need to leave so what is something that all three of us can do?" I asked as I sat on the floor with Beth.

"I don't know, what do toddlers like to do?" Rachel asked and I shrugged.

"I don't know, why don't we ask Beth?" I said turning to Beth who looked up at me with a huge toothy grin. "What we should do first though is take the puppies out." I said, almost forgetting about the dogs that were currently locked in the laundry room.

"I still don't understand why you got up dogs if you knew we weren't going to take care of them." Rachel said with a sigh as she got up from where she was seated.

"I got them hoping that you and your sister would take care of them. Had I of known that you both would neglect to feed or walk them I would have reconsidered." I said as I stood and then pulled Beth onto my hip much to her discontent.

"You got them for us as a bribe. Nothing good ever comes from that." Rachel said as she grabbed the leashes and went to the laundry room to get the pups.

When Rachel returned she took one of the leashes and handed the other to Beth. Luckily the puppies were small enough that Beth was able to hold the leash and not be pulled too hard. Rachel, Beth, and I walked the dogs around the apartment complex before we made our way back to the apartment.

When we got back to the apartment I went to put up the dogs while Rachel took Beth into the living room. I was going to join them when my phone started to ring so I had to go and answer it.

"Hello?" I asked as I picked up the phone on the last ring.

"Hey mom!" Kennedy called from the other end of the phone.

"Hey, what are you up to?" I asked with a smile as I took a seat in the dining room.

"I was just calling to let you know that Hiram and Liam said that it was okay for you and Beth to come for dinner. I meant to tell you earlier but I got completely caught up. I didn't know that there would be so much to catch up on for the Cheerios." Kennedy ranted causing me to roll my eyes.

"Well thank you for taking the time to let me know but Rachel told me this morning so I already know."

"Good! I have some papers that you need to sign so that everything is official for me to be a Cheerio."

"Kennedy I don't-"

"I have to go, see you at dinner!" Kennedy said before she hung up the phone and I placed my down so I could rest my head in my hands. This girl was going to be the death of me.

I took a moment before I took a deep breath and walked into the living room where Rachel was tickling Beth much to the toddlers delight. I stayed to the side for a little bit and just watched. It wasn't often that Rachel even went near Beth, let alone play with her. This was a real step in Rachel really becoming a member of this family.

"It sounds like someone is enjoying her time with her sister." I said and Rachel looked up at me with a smile.

"Are we being too loud?" She asked and I shook my head.

"Just loud enough." I said as I took a seat on the floor and pulled a smiling Beth onto my lap.

Rachel, Beth, and I played with the blocks for a while before it was time to head over to the Berrys for dinner. Rachel went ahead and left a little before me so I could change Beth and she could put her things away before having to go and eat dinner. I was a little nervous about this dinner. Yes the Berrys were just at my house for dinner the other day, but this was going to be in their territory. I really hadn't been there since Kennedy was sick and at that time I was really just with Kennedy. This was going to be completely different.

When I pulled up to the house I parked my car behind Kennedy's Range Rover and then waited a moment for my heart to stop racing. After taking a moment for myself I turned my car off, grabbed my phone and then got Beth out of the car. I knocked on the front door and then waited. A moment later Liam opened the door and took Beth out of my arms before letting me inside. Honestly I didn't mind that the men were doting on Beth, she loved the attention and it gave me more time to focus on the twins.

"Hey, where's Kennedy?" I asked as Hiram greeted me with a hug.

"She was just here a moment ago. I have no idea where should could have run off to." Hiram said as he looked around for the girl.

"I'm sure she'll be back in a minute." I said with a laugh.

"Well, would you like to see the rest of the house? We've done some remodeling in the last few months." Hiram said and I nodded knowing that there was no way I was getting out of seeing the house.

Hiram took me around the house and showed me how they remodeled everything. They had moved the master suite to the downstairs area of the house. Liam, who often worked from home when he was home, now had an office area inside his room. His office was now sitting empty as were three rooms upstairs. They also had a fully renovated basement where a lot of Rachel's trophies and awards were stored. I also found Kennedy sitting on one of the couches in the basement texting. Just like I had with Rachel earlier, I plucked the phone from Kennedy's hands and instead of being met with a protest I was met with a simple eye roll and a smile.

"Hi mom."

"That's all I get? A Hi Mom?" I asked and she laughed as she stood up and gave me a hug.

"You are so dramatic." Kennedy said and I gave her a light pop to her bottom. "Hey!" She yelped.

"You're one to talk about being dramatic. Come on, let's go upstairs and check on Beth." I said as I took Kennedy's hand and led her upstairs behind Hiram.

"Hey, I was just about to come and get you guys, Dad said dinner was ready." Rachel said as she slid into her dads side.

"Well, I guess we should go ahead and get in there before Liam loses his head." Hiram said as he led our small group into the dining room.

What I saw on the table blew my mind. Liam had prepared a full upscale dinner, complete with three courses not including dessert. I was stunned that he was able to cook this meal for tonight being as Kennedy just asked this morning.

"I'm apologize, usually the dinner looks a little better but I had such short notice this was the best I could do." Liam said as he placed Beth in a high chair he must have picked up today.

"Liam, this dinner is amazing, please don't apologize." I said as I took a seat between Kennedy and Rachel.

"I told you she wouldn't care." Hiram said as he pecked Liam on the lips and then took a seat next to him.

There was some light conversation that went on during dinner but it was only when we got to dessert that things started to get interesting.

"So how was your first day of cheerleading?" Liam asked and Kennedy sighed.

"It was tough, but I think it will get easier when I catch up. Speaking of which I need mom to sign the papers so I can officially join the team." Kennedy said as she shoveled some chocolate cake into her mouth.

"I need to look over those papers. I am still not sure about you joining the team." I stated and Kennedy glared at me.

"And why not?" She questioned, putting down her fork.

"You just transferred to McKinley and it's your senior year, you should be more focused on your academics than on extra curricular activities."

"You didn't think my academics were so important when I was a member of your glee club, but now that I am doing something I want to do you will make up anything to stop me. I can't believe you!" Kennedy screamed as she got up from the table and stormed out of the room.

"Well I am starting to think that the dramatics are in the genetics." Hiram joked.

"Rachel why don't you take Beth and go see if you can calm Kennedy down." Liam said and Rachel nodded as she grabbed her sister and left the room.

"What are you going to talk to me about?" I questioned as I leaned forwards towards the two men.

"Well we aren't really in a position to get involved in your parenting of Kennedy-"

"But we think that maybe this cheerleading thing might be good for her." Liam finished the thought that Hiram started.

"You're right, it's not really your position." I snapped, getting defensive over my position as Kennedy's mother.

"We're not trying to offend you Shelby, believe me." Hiram said, trying to defuse the situation.

"All we are trying to say is that Kennedy is trying to find something to call her own. I mean you have your glee club and Rachel has the New Directions, what else is left for Kennedy? She is at a new school where she doesn't have any friends. In a way she is starting over." Liam reasoned.

"At Carmel, Kennedy was used to being popular and we all know that glee club isn't held in the highest esteem at McKinley. She is trying to make her senior year memorable for her and I don't think you want to be the one to stand in her way." Hiram said and I nodded. What they were saying did make sense.

"Plus, we know Rachel and any time we tell her no she fights just that much harder to get what she wants." Liam added.

"You're both right, I just feel like I will never see her anymore if I let her do this. I never realized how hard it was to not have her around. She, for the most part, has never been away from me and it's killing me to not have her around." I stated, letting the men know exactly what was going on in my head.

"The offer to stay here is still on the table. We know that isn't your first choice but at this point it will be for less than a year and it could work. You would have your own space in the old master bedroom upstairs and you could have your own office. We have the space and you could have your freedom, but you would also have full access to all of your daughters, we all would." Hiram pleaded.

"Plus we could work out a parenting system that would be consistent for the girls."

"We've seen your apartment Shelby, you are going to need more space if you are going to have all three of them around." Hiram finished as both of them gave me a pleading look.

"Can I talk to the girls about it first? I of course know that Rachel would love for us to move in but I do have to check with Kennedy first." I said and they both nodded.

"Of course, we understand that." Liam said with a smile.

"Go ahead and check on them, we'll clean up in here." Hiram said as she started to clear the table and I got up and went up to Kennedy's room.

Kennedy was lying on the bed while Rachel was trying to talk to her with Beth perched on her hip.

"Rachel, let me talk to her for a minute."

"Good luck with that, she isn't willing to listen to anyone at the moment." Rachel huffed and I smiled as she walked out of the room.

"So, do you like being here?" I asked as I picked up a pillow and sat down on her bed.

"Yeah, I guess." Kennedy mumbled, trying to avoid talking to me as much as possible.

"Your dads offered to have us move in again." I stated, trying to gage Kennedy's response.

"What did you tell them?" Kennedy questioned, sitting up intrigued.

"I haven't told them anything yet. I wanted to talk to you first. I know that Rachel is on board with it and Beth really doesn't care, but this is a major decision and I want your input."

"Seriously? You want to know what I think? You know that yesterday I wanted nothing to do with my dads and now you are asking if I want to live here. I feel like you should know the answer." Kennedy said and I nodded.

"I know but I want to hear it from you."

"Then I would have to say that I think we should move in here." Kennedy said absolutely flooring me.

"Really?" I asked just to make sure she wasn't just messing with me.

"It's strange because I didn't think it would be like this, but I'm comfortable here and the only thing that could make this better would be having you here."

"Well I have to say that was a surprise. And you are sure that you would be okay with living here? This isn't something that you can change your mind about a week down the road, if we commit to this we are committed." I stated and Kennedy nodded.

"I'm sure. You were right, this is the last chance I really get to know my dads and this is Rachel's last chance to really get to know you. Having us all together all the time is going to be a huge pain in my butt, but it will also be good for all of us." Kennedy said and I smiled knowing that no matter what she was going to be okay.

"Good. Now where is your Cheerio paperwork, I would like to sign it before I need to go home." I said causing Kennedy's face to go into shock.

"What? But I thought you weren't signing it!" She stammered and I shrugged.

"You need a thing to call your own and if you want to try out cheerleading then so be it. That being said, if your grades start to suffer in any capacity, you will be pulled out of cheerleading so fast your head will spin!" I said in a stern voice and Kennedy just tackled me with a hug.

"Thank you thank you thank you! I promise that you will not regret this!" Kennedy said as she bounded off of her bed to her desk where she grabbed the papers and brought them over to me.

I took a moment to read through the paperwork. It was nothing special, just the run of the mill paperwork for activities. Upon seeing that Sue Sylvester didn't put any sort of dirty clause in the paperwork, I signed the forms and gave them back to my anxious daughter.

"Well I am going to go talk to your dads about your decision and then I will see you tomorrow being as it is late and I need to take Beth home and get her in bed."

"I love you mom." Kennedy said as she snuggled into my side for a hug.

"I love you too Ken, but I am not kidding about what I said. I will pull you out of cheerleading if it interferes with your academics."

"I know, I don't doubt it but thank you for giving me a chance." She said looking up at me and I smiled.

"Thank your fathers, they talked me into it." I said giving her one last squeeze before I went across the hall to get Beth back from Rachel.

I said goodnight to Rachel and then took Beth downstairs to talk to both Liam and Hiram. They were pleasantly surprised about what I had to tell them about moving in. Liam said that he would get in contact with a moving company he knew to help out and Hiram said that he would have everything re-painted and ready for us to move in by the end of the week. I knew that it would take a little longer to actually move in, but I was happy that things seemed to be looking up. Soon I was going to be able to be with my kids all the time and I was going to have some support when it came to discipline. Things were starting to look up and I think for the first time since our move back to Ohio, I was actually looking forwards to my girls senior year.


	4. Chapter 4

**Shelby's POV:**

"Mom, have you seen my cheerleading skirt?" Kennedy yelled as she ran down the hall half dressed.

It had been a week since we agreed to move in with the Berry's and things had gone pretty smoothly. Liam had looked over my lease and got me out of it while the movers they arranged for moved our entire life into their house. Hiram had even come through and had everything painted and ready for when we moved it. Honestly it was the smoothest move I had even been a part of. Well until it came to unpacking, that was a process that was still taking place.

"Honestly I haven't. Did you check your closet? That wasn't even an item that we moved into the house." I called from my bathroom as I worked on fixing my hair for the day.

"I know but when Rachel did laundry things got all mixed up." Kennedy said in a huff.

"Check with Rachel and see if she knows where it is." I said, not sure what to tell her at the current moment.

"I cannot go into her room, that is a scary place where terrible things are happening at the moment. Have you forgotten that she is in complete Diva mode with rehearsals for the play starting, her stressing about her NYADA audition which isn't even coming up for a while, and her Senior class president campaign in full swing. That girl is a basket case." Kennedy rambled and I sighed.

"Fine, I will check with Rachel but you need to go let the dogs out." I said as I put down my straightener and walked out of my bathroom towards Rachel's room.

I could say that the one really great things about being here was that Liam or Hiram always got the girls up and took care of Beth for me in the morning so I could just deal with getting Rachel, Kennedy, and I out the door in a timely manner. They even took care of making sure Maria was settled and ready for the day if I had to leave early.

"Rachel have you seen Kennedy's cheerleading skirt?" I asked as I entered her room to find her meditating on her bed fully dressed and ready for school.

"In her closet, second hanger from the end. It should be behind her team jacket from Vocal Adrenaline." Rachel said without even opening her eyes.

"Are you ready for school?" I asked knowing the answer.

"Yes, I am just getting some motivational meditation in before I start my day as the star of West Side Story." Rachel said, clearly emerged deeply in her Diva ways.

"Good, then go help Kennedy with the puppies and let her know I have her skirt." I said as I shut her door and went into Kennedy's room to grab her skirt for her.

I laid Kennedy's skirt out on the bed and then I went back to my room to finish getting myself ready. All I was hoping for was a very large cup of coffee waiting for me when I was done. When I felt I was ready for the day I grabbed my purse and keys and headed downstairs where Liam held out a large mug to me.

"After what I've heard this morning, I figured you would be needing this." He said and I just smiled as I took the cup.

"Where's Kennedy?" I asked as I took a seat at the breakfast bar and Hiram sighed.

"As soon as she was dressed she got a text saying that she needed to meet for a rehearsal this morning. I swear those kids never get a break." He said as he put a plate of eggs in front of me.

"It would have been nice if she would have let me know before just running out of the house. So should I ask where Beth and Rachel are?" I asked and he pointed to the living room where Beth was watching Sesame Street and Rachel was meditating again.

"And the puppies?" I asked.

"They are playing on the screened in patio. I had Rachel and Kennedy leave them there after they took them out. Speaking of which I think we should all sit down tonight and discuss the dogs with the girls."

"What about them?" I asked in between bites of my breakfast.

"Well we know that they were a gift from you, but we also know that the girls haven't been properly caring for them as of late. So, Hiram and I were thinking that we tell the girls to take care of them or we will find a new home for the pups."

"If that is okay with you." Hiram added after Liam finished.

"Honestly I don't know what I was thinking when I got the dogs for the girls. I know them and I knew that there was no way that they would care for them, especially with them both going off to college next year. Your idea is fine, we will bring it up tonight at dinner." I said as Hiram took my plate and went to wash it.

"Good, not that we don't love the dogs, we just don't love taking care of them." Liam said and I nodded in agreement.

"Alright, well Rachel and I need to get going so we will see you tonight." I said as I gathered my things and then went to go get Rachel so we could leave.

When I got to school I was just happy to have a moment of peace. That seemed to be the one thing that was missing since I moved in. It had been great to be with everyone but with that many people in one house it was crazy beyond belief. It was good to finally have some time alone. I was so caught up in the quiet I almost didn't realize someone had joined me in my room.

"Ms. Corcoran?" A voice called and I turned to see Mercedes standing in my doorway.

To be honest I felt bad for the girl. She had be double cast along side Rachel for the role of Maria and neither of them took it well. Eventually Mercedes backed out all together from the production and she had been moping around since. It had to be hard for her, and seeing Rachel all the time probably didn't make it any easier.

"What can I do for you Mercedes?" I asked with a smile.

"Well I was wondering if I could join your glee club." She said and I was completely floored.

Honestly I did not see this coming. Maybe I should have given the fact that she was not on the best of terms with Rachel and they would have to compete for solos in their glee club. It wasn't something I was anticipating, but it wasn't something I was completely against either. I needed her in my club, honestly at this point I was willing to take just about anybody with a pulse but given the fact that she could sing, this was an opportunity that I wanted to take advantage of.

"Are you sure? I am more than happy to allow you to join my team but I want you to know that if you do so a lot of people are going to be upset." I said and Mercedes nodded.

"I know and I'm okay with that. I just want to join a team where I am a valued member just not allowed to sing when Rachel is away, no offense." Mercedes said and I nodded.

"Then all I have left to say is welcome to the team. Right now the only two members are you and Sugar-"

"Don't worry about it, with me joining I'm sure I can get a few other willing participants." Mercedes said with a smile.

"Good. I look forward to seeing you at rehearsal this afternoon then." I said and Mercedes nodded before leaving my room.

At least that was one less thing for me to worry about at the moment. I knew that I was in desperate need of a team, especially with Sectionals coming up but with Mercedes joining I just felt like things were going to work out. That was until I had a whole bunch of angry New Directions members crashing through my classroom door at lunch time.

"Mother, please explain to all of us how you could poach Mercedes. I know that you were desperate for someone to join your team but why did you have to take her? I'm sure that even you could find someone else for your glee club." Rachel stated as the rest of the kids filed behind her.

"Excuse me? Where in the world do you get off using that tone with me young lady?" I asked causing Rachel to cower a little bit.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled.

"You better be. Other than that I did not poach Mercedes, she came to me this morning and asked to join the team. Next time you might want to get your facts straight before you come into my room accusing me of things I didn't do." I said and the team sighed.

"But why didn't you say no?" Rachel asked, clearly not getting that I was done with this conversation.

"Because I am not going to turn away anyone from the team for any reason, as long as they identify as a female. Now you all may leave my room, except for Rachel, you and I need to talk." I said, having just about enough of her diva attitude. Her fathers may have let this slide in the past but I was over it.

The rest of the group left, leaving just Rachel and I alone in the room and I could tell that Rachel was not feeling like much of a diva now.

"I really am sorry for the way I talked to you earlier." Rachel said as she shuffled her foot on the floor.

"Oh I'm sure you are but that isn't the only thing I want to talk to you about." I said and Rachel sighed.

"Then what else do you want to talk to me about?" Rachel asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I want to talk to you about this attitude you have had since you've gotten the role of Maria." I stated and I could see Rachel start to get defensive.

"I haven't been behaving any different and if I am it's only because I deserve to be treated like the rising star I am. I will not dial it back because some people can't handle it." Rachel snapped and I met her eyes with my glare.

"You are still a high school student Rachel. Yes, you have a lot of talent and yes, you are going to go places in a few years but that is not going to happen if you can't check your attitude. People do not want to be around someone who thinks that they are better than everyone around them. Mercedes is tired of being looked down on, that is why she switched."

"You're making it seem like this is all my fault-"

"Well you played a large part in it. Rachel, if you have this attitude about you, no one is going to want to work with you. You are very talented and your talent will open doors for you but that attitude of yours will close those doors as quickly as they opened. I am not saying this to make you feel bad about yourself, I am saying this because I love you and want to see you go far in your life. I am also telling you this because I want you to know that I will not deal with this sort of behavior. I would not tolerate it from Kennedy and I surely will not tolerate it from you, is that clear?" I asked and Rachel nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

"Well, if we have an understanding you are free to go, but I will be talking to your dads about this and there will be punishments next time something like today happens, is that clear?" I asked and Rachel nodded again.

"Good, then you may go ahead and catch up with your friends." I said and Rachel quickly turned and left my room. I was just hoping that Rachel would remember this talk we had because if she didn't, she wasn't going to like what was going to happen.

* * *

 **Kennedy's POV:**

Things had been crazy for me lately with joining the Cheerios. Coach Sylvester had me doing so much I wasn't sure if I was coming or going anymore. The worst part was that things with Puck had reached a complete standstill which was terrible for a budding relationship. That was why I went to seek him out during lunch. I was walking down the hall when I ran into him with a whole bunch of other New Direction kids.

"Hey." I said and he stopped with a grumble.

"Hey, look who has finally made time for me." Puck bit and I gave him a concerned look.

"What's going on?" I asked concerned about his attitude.

"It's nothing, not that you would have time for me even if there was anything." He snapped.

"I know I've been busy but you were the one who told me to try the Cheerios so don't start that attitude with me." I countered.

"Yeah but I didn't realize that you joining the Cheerios would mean that you would have no time for me. I've needed you this week and you've been unavailable, that isn't the kind of girlfriend that I want." Puck said losing his cool.

"Well I'm sorry that you are stuck with such a crappy girlfriend, maybe we should break up so you can find someone who can stroke your ego every moment of everyday, because we both know I can't be that for you." I said, raising my voice in anger.

"Maybe we should. You are such a bitch!" Puck said and I didn't know what to do. I could take that sort of thing from Michael, Jesse even, but not Puck.

"Fuck you." I whispered before I walked off down the hall.

I was so angry that I didn't even realize when I walked straight into Rachel, who herself was fuming over something.

"God, watch it!" Rachel snapped and I gave her a look.

"What crawled up your butt and died?" I asked as she let out a huge sigh.

"Our mother. That woman is such a bitch sometimes. I ask her one little question and she gets on to me about my attitude, can you believe that?" Rachel asked and I shrugged.

"Your attitude has been a little much lately." I said and Rachel narrowed her eyes at me.

"God you are just like her!" Rachel said before she stormed off down the hall.

What was with these people today? Had all of the New Direction members completely lost their fucking minds. There was only one place where I was going to get answers and that was in my mother's room.

When I walked in my mother was sitting behind her computer looking at the screen. She didn't even look up when the door closed behind me.

"Rough day?" I asked and she smirked.

"I'm guessing you ran into Rachel in the hall." She said, finally looking up at me.

"Yeah. That was after Puck and I broke up, what happened this afternoon?" I asked sitting in one of the desks in her room.

"Wait, you and Puck broke up. Are you okay?" She asked and I nodded.

"He was sort of an as-sorry." I said, not realizing the almost slip of my tongue.

"I'll let it slide. So what exactly happened that made you and Puck break up?" My mom asked and I shrugged.

"I don't even know, he just started giving me attitude about us not seeing that much of each other lately which is complete bull because I was suppose to be in New York this year anyway. He has seen more of me than he was suppose to and yet he still gives me grief about everything." I said and Shelby nodded.

"Just give it some time. I am sure that even he calms down he will see that you were a really good thing for him."

"Then what? I am so over him and his attitude right now. I mean the phone works both ways and it's not like he has tried to spend time with me either. I just don't know if we had a relationship that was meant to last. Honestly I don't think I am girlfriend material." I said feeling quite defeated.

"Kennedy you are girlfriend material and one day in the future you are going to be wife material. You and Puck are just going through a rough patch, all relationships have those and if you two are meant to be then you will work it out. You just need to have faith that things will work out the way they are meant to." Mom said and I sighed.

"You talk a big talk for someone who never married them self." I said getting a strong look from my mother.

"This isn't about me. Look, New Directions lost a member of their club today and they are not taking that well. I don't know if that is all that is going on with him but it is probably playing a large part in it. It also doesn't help that you have been busy since you've gotten back. I really think that you two just need some time."

"I really think that he needs to get over himself. I don't want to talk about this anymore. I need to get to class, I'll see you later." I said as I got up and gathered my things, leaving my mom's room without another word.

I was just about to my locker when Coach Sylvester came out of no where and beckoned me into her office. Becky, who was guarding the door, stepped to the side to let us through and then closed the door behind us and took her position again. There was a small part of me that really wondered if that girl ever went to class.

"Can I ask why I am here?" I questioned as I took a seat across from the blonde haired coach.

"Well, it has come to my attention that you have taken to the challenge of learning everything for the Cheerios in a very timely manner and I like that. It reminds me of myself when I was a bit younger. Of course the things I had to do were much harder and my mother was a lot meaner being as she was a Nazi hunter, but I still admire your efforts Yentl." Coach Sylvester said and I rolled my eyes.

"Thank you, but I must insist that you call me either Kennedy or Corcoran, I don't take well to being called anything other than that." I snapped and coach gave me a look before she smiled.

"I like your spunk as well Corcoran. Not many girls would ever speak to me the way you just did and while I don't always take kindly to such disrespect, I admire your moxy. As you may know I decided at the beginning of the year to have Becky and Santana as my Co-Captains for the team." She said and I nodded.

"Santana has reminded me of that every day since I started." I said, acknowledging the harassment and hazing she had put me through.

"Yes, well I am starting to think that I possibly made a mistake, which believe me does not happen often."

"A mistake about what?" I asked, hoping that she was thinking what I hoped she was thinking.

"Lopez has been great but she and Becky do not get along as well as I had hoped. It was my mistake to put those two as Co-captains. After talking it over with Becky she has decided to step down from her position as captain for the year and having been really impressed with you I think that you may be the person that I need to keep Santana in check. What do you think?" Coach Sylvester asked and I smirked.

"Would this mean that Santana finally can't tell me what to do?" I asked and she nodded.

"That would be the implication of being her Co-Captain. Plus unlike her you aren't a member of any sort of Glee club and I like that. You keep this hard work up, there is a great chance that you can get a cheerleading scholarship to any university you want." She said and I sighed.

"Too bad I don't think I am going to college, but thank you for this opportunity and I promise I won't let you down." I said as I got up and walked out of the office, giving Becky a small smile as I left.

At least there was one thing in my day that seemed to be looking up. Yes, I would have rather of been Co-Captain with Becky, but Co-Captain with Santana was better than being under her oppressive thumb for the rest of the school year.

"Clone, go get me a slushy, I have a need to find a loser and make them regret being born." Santana barked as she turned to talk with a group of Cheerios she was standing with.

"Actually I think that Coach Sylvester wants to talk to you." I said with a smirk as I turned and walked away from the group, I couldn't wait until she found out.

As the rest of my classes progressed I was able to hear more and more of the gossip that was floating around surrounding the Cheerios and I couldn't help but smile. I knew that it was only a matter of time before Santana herself would be up in my face and I was looking forward to it. There was nothing that she could do about it and it was great.

I saw Santana in the hall after school and she just gave me a dirty look before heading towards the choir room for glee rehearsal. It was a second later that Puck came walking towards me.

"Look Kennedy-"

"What, are you coming to apologize? There is nothing left to say Puck, I agree with you we aren't right for each other and we needed to break up." I said as I crossed my arms.

"Kennedy, I have just been stressed about everything. Glee club is going down the tubes and Quinn has gone A-wall."

"What does Quinn have to do with anything?" I asked and he sighed running a hand through his mohawk.

"It's just that your mom hasn't even talked to me about Beth and I know it has to do with Quinn, I just want to see my daughter."

"What do you want me to do about it? Shelby is Beth's mom, and Beth is my sister. I like you Puck but you need to realize that things are different than you imagine them to be. You and Quinn gave Beth up for adoption and my mom has the right to keep you from seeing her if that is what she wants. I'm not saying that is what she is trying to do, but I am saying that she has that right." I stated and he glared.

"Kennedy I like you."

"Yeah, because what you said this morning really showed me that. Look, if we're done here I have to go." I said as I turned on my heel and walked away from him. Of course he had to ruin my good mood.

* * *

 **Hiram's POV:**

"Liam I'm home!" I called as I walked through the front door.

I knew that Shelby and the girls would be home from work soon and I was excited to see how they days went. They always had the best stories and I was just happy to have everyone here.

"Hiram, you're right on time." Liam said as he walked into the living room with Beth on his hip.

"Right on time for what?" I asked as I took the small blonde child from his arms.

"Beth wants to play with the puppies and I have to get dinner started." Liam said and I rolled my eyes. Liam hated dogs and I knew that only Beth would be able to make such a request and have him actually think about doing it.

"Go, Beth and I will be fine." I said and he smiled as he walked towards the kitchen and I took Beth to grab the pups. At least one of the kids liked to play with the dogs.

It was a short while later that the front door opened and Rachel came storming into the house.

"Hey how was your day?" I asked and she glared at me.

"It would be better if my mother wasn't such a monster." She said before walking up to her room.

The next person into the house was Kennedy, she didn't even bother with my question, instead she just breezed past me and up the stairs followed by a door slam.

When Shelby walked in I was hoping for some sort of explanation but she just snatched up Beth and went up to her room.

"I guess this was what we signed up for when we agreed to live with four women." Liam said as he walked out of the kitchen and handed me the phone.

"Pizza?" I asked and he nodded.

"That would probably be best."

* * *

 _A/N: I just wanted to post a little something, there will be more coming and soon but this was a fun chapter to write so I hope it was just as fun to read._


	5. Chapter 5

**Hiram's POV:**

"What do you mean Sue wants to make you co-captain of the cheerleading team? I will absolutely not allow that!" Shelby shouted from the bedroom where her and Kennedy were held up at the moment.

Kennedy and Shelby had been going at it since we ordered pizza. It started with Shelby trying to get information about why Puck and her broke up and now they were on to their newest topic, cheerleading. They had just started their fight when Rachel came downstairs and proclaimed that she needed to go for a walk to get rid of all of their negativity. Beth was oblivious to the whole thing. She was just sitting on the floor in front of the television watching the latest episode of Elmo.

"Do you think that they will ever stop their pointless bickering?" Liam asked with a sigh as he leaned on the kitchen counter.

"Those two? Probably not. They are too similar for their own good."

"That sounds about right. Maybe one of us should run interference." Liam suggested before I just laughed.

"And risk dying in the process? Thanks, I like the life I have and I wish to keep it that way."

"Well can we at least ask them to not throw things? I've heard so many things crash that it will only be a matter of time before something breaks and we both know that will only spark another argument. At least they are upstairs in their own rooms and not down here where we keep the nice things." Liam joked and I smiled.

"When the pizza gets here I will go up there and break it up." I finally said before going and joining Beth on the floor in the living room.

It was a few minutes later that the pizza arrived and Liam sent me up to go get Shelby and Kennedy while he phoned Rachel to get her to return home.

I knocked on the door before I slowly pushed it open to reveal Kennedy and Shelby both sitting on the bed. Kennedy tucked into Shelby's side as Shelby gently ran her fingers through Kennedy's hair.

"The pizza's here if you two would like to come down and eat." I said and Shelby nodded as she stopped what she was doing and made her way towards the door.

"Kennedy will join us in a minute." Shelby said as she grabbed my arm and led me down the stairs.

It was a moment later that Kennedy was downstairs grabbing a slice of pizza and joining Beth on the floor in front of the television. When Shelby got to the living room she changed the channel from Beth's program to something that everyone would want to watch.

"Where is Rachel?" Shelby asked after a few minutes and Liam and I looked at each other before he gave me a signal to talk.

"When you and Kennedy were argu- having a discussion she decided to go for a walk." I said and Shelby got up.

"Did you let her know that dinner was here?" She asked and I nodded.

"Of course, Liam sent her a text."

"A text? You really think that a text message is going to be enough to get her to come home?" Shelby asked and I shrugged.

"She will come home when she is ready but if you feel like she should be home right now then you are more than welcome to go get her." Liam said and Shelby nodded as she got up and grabbed her phone heading towards the front door.

"I don't know why you thought she wouldn't go after Rachel." Kennedy said, her eyes never drifting away from the television.

"Excuse me?" I asked and Kennedy sighed as she turned and looked at me.

"I'm sorry if that seemed rude, but my mother is a control freak. She needs things to be a certain way and if they're not she has to change or fix them so they are. It was just that you were baiting her to try and get her to stay by making it seem silly that she would want to go after Rachel. To her it's not silly, that is just how she lives." Kennedy stated.

"Is that why you and her argue a lot? She wants to change or fix the things she doesn't like in your life?" Liam asked and Kennedy shrugged.

"That's part of it. The other part is that I tend to keep her out of parts of my life that she wants to know all about. It's just hard for me because what she wants for me and what I want for me are not the same thing at times. I just feel constantly pressured to do as she wants when I know that isn't going to work for me. Does that make sense?" Kennedy asked and I nodded with a small smile.

"It does. Kennedy, let's make a deal. If there is ever something that you want or that you want to talk about that you can't go to your mom for, please know that you can always come to Liam or myself." I said and Kennedy smiled.

"Thanks, speaking of which, I have some exciting news from today." Kennedy said as she sat up a little.

"And what would that be?" Liam asked.

"Well Coach Sylvester asked me to be one of the two Co-Captains of the Cheerios." Kennedy said beaming with excitement.

"That is fantastic, you haven't even been on the team that long and you already have a position of power. We should celebrate with ice cream later!" Liam said and Kennedy blushed a little.

"It's not that big of a deal, actually my mom isn't happy about it at all."

"Your mom is still adjusting to not having her old glee club and not having you around her all the time. You know that has to be hard for her." I said and Kennedy rolled her eyes.

"Like this whole thing isn't hard for me. All my friends are at my old school and with my twin going completely insane, McKinley isn't exactly a vacation for me either."

"I know. Maybe you should plan a weekend where you and your friends can get together and hang out." Liam suggested.

"I would except for the fact that their new coach, Jesse St. James, put me on a no contact list so none of my friends are not allowed to talk to me. Mainly because of who my mother is though. It's okay, some of the girls from the team invited me to hang out with them after school next week so that should be fun."

"It's a start Kennedy, it's a good start." Liam said just as Shelby came back into the living room with Rachel not too far behind her.

Rachel sat with a huff on the floor on the opposite side of Beth while Shelby took a seat back on the couch.

"Did we miss much?" Shelby asked, referring to the television show that she had left on when she went to find Rachel.

"No, you pretty much just missed the re-cap from the previous episode." Kennedy said and Shelby nodded seeming satisfied with the answer Kennedy provided.

The five of us sat in relative silence as we ate. When we were finished Kennedy took the plates into the kitchen upon Shelby's request while Shelby went to give Beth a bath and Rachel went up to meditate for a while before bed.

"Did you mean what you told Kennedy?" Liam asked as the both of us sat in the living room alone and I nodded.

"I did."

"You know that will piss Shelby off if she ever finds out."

"She doesn't have to know." Kennedy said as she walked back into the living room to grab a cup that was forgotten when she took the rest of the dishes into the kitchen.

"Kennedy-"

"It's okay, you're right Liam if she were to find out she would be really angry but like I said she doesn't have to know. I'm not going to tell her and as long as you guys don't tell her she doesn't have to know. Please, I need this, I need another parent to go to when she is being unreasonable. For my sake you can't go back on this." Kennedy pleaded, more to Liam than to me.

"You aren't going to tell?" Liam asked and she shook her head.

"No, are you?" She asked and Liam and I both shook our heads.

"Then it's settled, but you better finish those dishes before you mother gets back down here." I said and Kennedy nodded as she turned and headed back towards the kitchen.

"We're dead aren't we?" Liam asked and I shrugged.

"Only time will tell."

Shelby came back down after she had put Beth to bed. It was a few minutes later that Kennedy walked back into the living room and Shelby pulled the girl onto the couch with her. It was nice to see those two getting along after their explosive conflict earlier today.

"Everything go okay with Beth?" Liam asked and Shelby nodded with a small smile.

"She really didn't want to go to sleep but she should be out by now. I really can't thank you both enough for helping out with her. I don't know what I would have done without the help." Shelby said and I waved her off.

"You would have just done what you have always done. It's not like you haven't been doing a wonderful job raising the girls without us."

"I'm sure someone in this room would disagree." Shelby scoffed causing Kennedy to roll her eyes.

"Isn't it like my job as a teenager to disagree with you?" Kennedy joked and Shelby just responded with a small chuckle.

"Well if that is your job I would say that you are going to be up for a promotion soon. So where did Rachel run off to?"

"She went to her room to meditate. She went up right after you went to give Beth a bath, she should have passed you." Liam said and Shelby nodded.

"Meditating?" Shelby asked and I nodded.

"At least she isn't on that damn elliptical that she was addicted to her sophomore year." I joked.

"Kennedy wanted a treadmill in her room around that same time, I told her over my dead body. Once Vocal Adrenaline rehearsals got into full swing, she forgot all about that notion."

"Only because my coach was insane and was trying to kill us all." Kennedy retorted.

"I was not trying to kill you, you guys would have been no good to me dead." Shelby joked causing Liam and I to laugh.

"It's not funny, she was absolutely horrible in those rehearsals."

"It's a little funny." I responded.

"Well sorry to cut this party short but I think I will take the three of you laughing at me as my cue to leave." Kennedy said before she got up and left to go upstairs.

"Well someone doesn't like to be laughed at." Liam said and Shelby nodded.

"That's our over sensitive little flower."

"Sensitive? Are you sure we are talking about the same kid?" I asked and Shelby sighed.

"Kennedy is complicated. She has this really thick skin but that is only to protect what lays right beneath. Her feelings are so powerful and they influence her so much, but she doesn't let any one see them. She hates letting people get close to her. God, she hates letting me know what is going on with her at times and I gave birth to her. So no she doesn't like to be laughed at. Not to mention she had a rather shitty day." Shelby said running her hands through her hair.

"What exactly happened? We heard bits and pieces earlier but if you could help us piece it together." Liam said and Shelby nodded.

"Well it started with Puck and her breaking up. They got into some huge fight that she won't give me details about. All I can get out of her is that is has something to do with Quinn and that she is completely over those two. I don't even know what to do in this situation. I have dealt with her wanting to chase after boys but never her just going numb to one. It just sucks because I worked so hard this summer to get her to open up and Puck was a vital part of it and now this. I just feel like I am losing a part of my daughter again. I want to kill that kid. What was he thinking? He knew what would happen." Shelby said, sounding completely defeated.

"She isn't closing off to you. Break ups are hard, especially when you really liked the person who you are breaking up with."

"It's not even just that. I just feel like I never get to spend time with her any more. Don't get me wrong, I love living here but when we were living separately we just seemed to spend more time together. I just seemed more in control of where she spent time. I would have known about the whole cheerleading thing before it was even a thing and then none of this Noah/Puck crap would have happened. I don't regret letting her get to know you guys because I do feel like it is important for her to know her dads. I just wish that it didn't come at the price of me feeling so out of control of my life. Does that even make sense?" Shelby asked and Liam and I both nodded.

"It makes complete sense, but we as parents have to learn to let go. Rachel and Kennedy are both growing up and starting to become these beautiful independent young ladies and we have to let them make their own choices. Next year they aren't going to be coming home to us every night and we have to start preparing them for that. It's not about being out of control, it's about letting them be more involved in controlling what happens in their lives." I said and Shelby let out a sigh.

"I just don't want to lose them." Shelby said finally getting to the real issue she was having.

"You won't." Liam said and I offered her a small smile.

"They are always going to need you. They will always need their mom. It may take them a while to realize that they do, but it will happen. We all know that it happened for Rachel, not that she always remembers what it was like before she had access to you. Kennedy knows as well, but she also needs time away from you as hard as that may be for you. Since she was born you were always right there and there is a part of her that wants to get away from that and it's your job to let her, even if you don't always agree with her choices." I said.

"How come you and Liam are so well versed at this?" She asked and Liam and I shared a chuckle.

"How do you think we felt when Rachel found you? That wasn't a walk in the park for either of us." Liam said.

"It took some time but we came to realize that she wasn't doing it because she didn't love us, she was doing it because she needed you as well, she needed her mom. We had to stop being in control so Rachel could find the part of her that was missing."

"I am so sorry, I never realized-"

"Please stop. you were not suppose to. You were finally getting to know the daughter you had given up. It was your time to be selfish."

"You two are a better person than I am." Shelby said and we shook our heads.

"That is not even remotely true. You remember when we went on vacation this summer without our child? We could say it was because we wanted her to get to know you better, but it wasn't. We really just wanted a break and we finally had an opportunity." Liam admitted.

"What we are trying to say is that no parent is perfect. All we can do is try our best." I said causing Shelby to finally smile for the first time that night.

"Thank you for helping me with this. The past few years haven't exactly been easy and quite honestly this talk has helped more than you will ever know."

"That's why we're here. We want to be able to co-parent and support you with whatever you need. You gave us the greatest gift and now we want to try and re-pay that."

"You guys don't owe me anything. I was always happy to help you with Rachel and because of that I was given Kennedy. Giving Rachel up was hard, but knowing that she was going to such great people made it a little easier. She ended up with some wonderful parents."

"As did Kennedy. Now let's just hope that the three of us don't together screw up Beth within the next year." Liam joked causing the three of us to laugh.

"Speaking of Beth, Puck has been asking to be able to come see her. I just wanted to check with both of you before I gave him an answer." Shelby said and we smiled.

"We appreciate you asking but there is no need. We want you to feel free to act as if it were your house. It is completely up to you, Beth is your daughter and you have complete control over who can and cannot see her." I said and Shelby nodded.

"In that case I think I am going to have him babysit her next week while you are both out of town so Rachel, Kennedy, and I can spend some time together."

"That sounds like a great plan." Liam said but I had other thoughts.

"What about Kennedy? I don't think that she will take him being here as well as you think she will."

"Beth is Puck's daughter and I am not going to block him from seeing her because him and Kennedy broke up. It's not the best situation but they both knew that this was a possibility when they started dating. I warned them about this and now they have to deal with the consequences." Shelby said seeming more confident than ever.

"Do you think Kennedy will see it that way?" I asked and Shelby laughed as she shook her head.

"Not a chance in hell. She is going to claim this is a personal attack against her. I will deal with it when it happens." Shelby said.

"So now that you have that all figured out, what about Quinn?" Liam asked, knowing that the young blonde was Beth's mother.

"What about her?"

"She is Beth's biological mother, you decided what you were doing with her dad, now what about her mom?" I asked and Shelby shrugged.

"She is, but with the way she is acting right now there is no way I am going to let her anywhere near my young impressionable child. I do plan on talking to her and letting her know that if she cleans up her act, I will have no problem letting her see Beth. Until then however, she will not be permitted to see Beth."

"That seems fair enough. So do you think the girls are actually in bed?" I asked as we listened to the now silent house.

"I'll go check, I was planning on heading up to bed soon anyway. Thank you both again for tonight, it really has helped me and I am so thankful that you are the people I get to co-parent with." Shelby said as she gave us each a hug and then headed up stairs to check on the girls.

"I am really glad that we choose her to have our child, we could not have asked for better DNA." Liam said and I nodded.

"We really couldn't have."


	6. Chapter 6

**Kennedy's POV:**

Things lately have been tense. Rachel and our mom were fighting. My mom and I were fighting. Rachel and I were fighting, the only people who weren't fighting were Liam and Hiram and that was only because they were out of town. It seemed like things were finally starting to calm down when our mother decided that we were all going out to dinner like some happy family that we clearly were not at the moment.

"I just don't understand why we are going out to eat when we have perfectly good food at home." Rachel argued as we drove towards the house.

Since Liam and Hiram had been out of town, our mother had instituted that we all drive to and from school together, which has not been fun with how crazy the schedule the three of us had.

"Like I've told you and your sister a thousand times, we all need to talk and I think that a change of scenery will do us some good." Shelby said causing both Rachel and I to roll our eyes.

This was the last thing that we all needed. It was one thing when we all fought at home, there were no witnesses. When we went out, that was another story. We didn't tone it down and people stared, it was always a disaster.

"Why are we even going home? Let's just get this over with." I said and our mom sighed.

"We have to go home so Maria can leave."

"But you said that we were leaving Beth at home." Rachel said and Shelby nodded.

"We are, but I am using a different sitter because Maria had something else planned for tonight." Our mother said but I knew that something was up.

"So who is sitting?" I asked and our mother just smiled.

"You'll see. Now when we get home you both have ten minutes to change and then be downstairs waiting to leave, is that clear?" Our mom asked and Rachel and I both nodded.

Upon parking in the driveway Rachel and I all but bolted out of the car and into the house. We knew that we were going to have to be around on another all night so we didn't want to spend any extra time together that we didn't have to.

When I went up to my room I just crashed on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. This was going to be the longest night of my life. I just knew that this was not what my mother was intending when she planned this whole thing.

"You ready?" My mom asked as she walked into the room and I shrugged, my gaze still fixed upon the ceiling fan dangling a few feet above my head.

"I guess so, it's not like I have that much of a choice." I said finally rolling off the bed and walked over to the closet so I could change out of my cheerleading uniform.

"Kennedy-"

"Don't Kennedy me please. You and I both know that this dinner tonight isn't going to solve anything." I said changing into a t-shirt and shorts.

"I am going to go grab Rachel, please be downstairs in five minutes." She said as she walked out of the room and I rolled my eyes walking back over to my bed.

It was a few minutes later that Rachel was standing over me with her arms crossed.

"You ready to go? Mom wants us downstairs." She said and I nodded.

"Yeah I'm ready." I said still laying on my bed causing Rachel to just shift her weight and huff once more.

"She means that she wants us downstairs like now." Rachel said and I rolled my eyes.

"I know, and I'm coming." I said but when Rachel didn't move I knew that I was going to have to come down stairs with her now or she was never going to leave me alone.

"Good you're both down here, I am going to make sure that everything is all set in the kitchen before we go. Rachel when the sitter gets here can you get the door?" Our mom asked before she walked into the kitchen and Rachel threw herself down onto the couch in a huff.

"Why do I have to get the door? It's like she doesn't even think to ask you. I am so over this inclusion stuff. I get it she is my mother I don't need her to boss me around all the time to remember that fact." Rachel said and I just shook my head at her comment.

"You know what, I will get the door. I wouldn't want you to strain yourself being as your opening night is in a month." I snapped as the doorbell rang and I walked over to the front door.

As soon as the heavy wooden door was pulled open I could understand exactly why my mother had asked Rachel to get it. Standing on the other side of the door was Puck, clad in a white undershirt with his leather jacket thrown over it effortlessly. His hair was done up in a short mohawk while his jeans hung loosely at his hips.

"Puck." I said and he nervously ran his hand over his hair.

"Hey, your mom asked me to babysit." He said and I nodded.

"Yeah, I guessed that much. Why don't you go in and watch Beth or something." I said as I moved to the side and Puck walked in making his way to the living room where Rachel was still sulking.

"Holy shit, what are you doing here?" Rachel asked when she finally noticed that Puck was in the house.

"He's babysitting Beth tonight while we are at dinner. Rachel, Kennedy, why don't you both go out to the car and I will be there as soon as I finish getting Noah settled." Our mom said and I nodded as I took Rachel's hand and dragged her out of the house.

"That's your ex. Our mother asked your ex boyfriend to babysit, knowing full well that you two would have to see each other and like talk to one another. Why are you not freaking out about this as much as I am?" Rachel asked and I shrugged.

"Well she did at least try to keep us away from each other by having you open the door, but that didn't go according to plan did it? Look, I knew when we started dating that this was a possibility if we broke up. I can't be mad that he wants to see his daughter and I am not mad at mom for asking him to watch her. I can be a little mad that she didn't tell me and she tried to keep it a secret for as long as she did but honestly I really don't see how being mad is worth it any more. I am tried of fighting Rachel. I am tired of fighting you and mom and everyone else." I said as I got into the car and shut the door officially ending any sort of conversation we were having.

It was only a minute later that our mother emerged from the house and Rachel and her both got into the car. While our mother drove all that was heard was the light murmur of music in the background and the gentle hum of the road passing beneath the tires of the car. None of us were talking and I was starting to see my mother's plans unravel one mile at a time.

"Where are we going?" Rachel asked only as we drove straight out of the Lima Ohio city limits. There was only one place worth eating at in Lima and we had just driven right past it.

"I wanted to try something new so we are going to this little hole in the wall pizza place just outside of Lima. But before we get there I think that we should talk, all of us." Shelby said, making sure to make eye contact with me through the rearview mirror.

"I agree." I replied, getting a complete shocked response from our mother.

"Well I'll go first." Rachel said causing me to smile. Even with something like this she still had to make it all about her.

"Go ahead." Shelby said and Rachel sighed.

"I don't like being called a Diva. I know that lately I have been acting a little well, high strung, but I have been under a lot of pressure and stressed. I get that I can be a little much but I also know that I really didn't have anyone to talk to. Kennedy was too busy with her cheerleading and you mom, you were too busy with this new glee club to really be there. Yeah you helped me with the audition piece but I needed more than that from you. I just wanted someone to talk to." Rachel said and I almost felt bad for not being there for her myself.

"Rachel, you know that all you have to do is tell me. I can't read your mind Rachel, you have to let me know how you are feeling and what you need. I can try my best to do what is right all day ling but if you never tell me how you are feeling I can only do so much. And I will try my best to not call you a diva."

"Me too." I said with a smile and Rachel grinned.

"Thank you, and I will try my best to let you know how I am feeling and what I need. I know that you care about me and I guess I have to stop thinking that you will just know what I need without me telling you." Rachel said.

"What about you Kennedy?" Our mom asked and I shrugged.

"Honestly the only thing that is bugging me right now is just you. I get that you are my mom and you want to know what is going on in my life at all times but you know that I like to keep things to myself and that includes what happened between Puck and I. I don't care that you let him watch Beth but I would have liked to know about it before he just shows up at the door. Does that make sense?" I asked and my mom paused for a moment before she nodded.

"It makes sense but you also know that I want to be there for you. You just seem to be taking this break up really well and that isn't normal. I just know that when it was with Jesse you were in a funk for a while and with Michael-"

"That was with different guys and things with Puck it just made sense to stop seeing each other. We weren't what either of us needed right now. Honestly I am just over him." I said and I could see that no one in the car was buying my story but I could also see that neither one of them was going to push that topic any further right now.

"Okay, then next time I will tell you when Noah is coming over to babysit." Our mom said and I nodded.

"That is all I ask, oh and for Rachel not to take her rage for you out on me. Other than that I don't have any other issues." I said and the car went silent for a moment.

"Then I guess all that is left is for me to speak my peace. Let me start with Rachel. I would really like for you to try to express yourself in ways that don't involve temper tantrums. I understand that you have these really strong feelings but storming out of rooms and slamming doors are not ways that a seventeen almost eighteen year old should express themselves. Do you understand that?" Shelby asked and Rachel nodded.

"I see where you are coming from and I am more than willing to work on it. I can say that it may take some time and it will take a lot of practice, but I will work on it."

"That is all that I ask. Now Kennedy, let's talk. I honestly don't even know where to start with you. You like to keep everything buried inside and that isn't healthy, I need you to talk to me, to talk to someone. I won't go through what I went through with you two years ago, I can't. I get that you don't want to talk about what happened with you and Puck right now and I will give you your space but I need you to be able to talk to me if you need to. I can't have you running away from your problems." Our mom said and I felt like the worst human in the entire world. I had not even thought that this was how my mom felt. I honestly forgot about everything I had put her through in the past few years. I couldn't believe that I was being that selfish. I also knew that I wasn't in a place to share anything right now either. It was hard because as much as I wanted to tell her I couldn't bring myself to talk about it. It was hard enough seeing him everyday and to pretend to be happy but I couldn't continue to do that if I had to re-hash everything and talk about how I really felt. It was just better for me to keep some thing to myself until I could handle my emotions.

"I will and I'm sorry about everything. I don't mean to push you away but I am just used to dealing with things on my own, not because I had to but because that is the way that I deal with things."

"Well I think that is just about everything and just in time because we are here." Our mom said as we pulled into the parking lot of the pizza place.

Overall dinner was actually a nice time. I think it was good that we all talked in the car before we had gotten to the pizza joint. I could now understand why our mom wanted us to do this and I think that going forward it was something that we should do more often.

"I'm going to run to the restroom and then we can go. Do you two want to go ahead and go tot he car?" Our mom asked and Rachel and I nodded as we got up from the table.

"You know Puck misses you right?" Rachel asked once we had exited the establishment.

"Oh." I didn't know what to say. I missed him too but we were so wrong for each other. I knew that now and I wasn't willing to get back together with him just to break his heart later on down the road.

"What happened? You went all summer waiting for him and then you two finally have full access to each other and things fall apart. This just doesn't make any sense." Rachel said turning to face me and all I could do was shrug.

"We don't work Rachel. I wish that we did but we are in different places of our lives. He is going to do great things and I want that for him, but if he is with me I can only hold him back. We never see each other any more and that was how it started. If we kept dating he would keep trying to be there and I don't have the time to give him. He would ruin any chance he had at a scholarship because he would be trying to make something work that just can't. We aren't good for each other and that was why we were attracted to each other in the first place. Think about it. We met at a competition where our teams were going head to head. Our mother hated him and that made him attractive to me. We didn't start our relationship for the right reasons and now I am ending it before he really got hurt."

"Don't you see that even though you guys didn't start the relationship for the right reasons you two are perfect together. You both are these people who balance one another out. You are over ambitious and you push him to get better while he keeps you grounded from over working yourself. Kennedy, you are throwing away a great relationship and for what? Because some time down the line you two might now work out?" Rachel asked and I shrugged.

"I don't want to talk about this right now." I said as I spotted our mother walking out of the restaurant.

"Kennedy-"

"Don't start Rachel. We talked about this and I will talk about it when I am ready and right now is not that time."

* * *

 **Rachel's POV**

I just couldn't understand Kennedy. She had this great thing and even when she knows that she could work it out she doesn't want to try. Someone had to do something and like hell I was going to just sit by and watch this happen.

I spent the entire ride back to the house planning. I had to get her and Puck back together. Even if they wouldn't admit it to one another they were both miserable. They needed each other and I was not going to watch either one of them suffer because they thought they were doing the right thing.

"When we get home you both need to go upstairs and get ready for bed. Kennedy I want you to shower first and when you are done Rachel can wait five minutes before she goes ahead and showers. I know you have your own showers but I do not want to hear an argument about the hot water tonight so we are going to stagger showers. Is that understood?" Our mom asked as we pulled into the driveway and I nodded. My plan was actually going to work.

Kennedy got out of the car without any further prompting and went into the house. Puck and my mom talked for a few minutes before my mom took Beth and Puck turned to leave. I checked to make sure that my mom wasn't paying attention before I ran after Puck, getting to him just before he pulled out of the driveway.

"What the hell Rachel?" He asked as he cranked down the window of his old beaten up truck.

"Why won't you get back together with Kennedy?" I asked, out of breath from chasing him down the driveway.

"I tried Rachel, she wants nothing to do with me. There is nothing more that I can do, I want to be with her but she doesn't want to be with me. It sucks but it is what it is." He said, sounding hopelessly defeated.

"Why is she so difficult? She still likes you Puck don't stop trying, if you stop trying she will move on. Please keep trying." I begging, starting to see just how much I was going to have to put into this relationship myself.

"I don't know how long I can keep pining after someone who clearly doesn't want me." He said and I sighed.

"Give me a month, after that if nothing changes you can stop. It's four weeks, can you do that?" I asked and he paused for a second before nodding.

"I think I can do that." He finally said and I smiled.

"You won't regret it." I said as I turned and made my way back to the house where my mother was standing on the porch with Beth in her arms.

"What was that all about?" She asked with a raised eyebrow as she followed me into the house.

"Nothing, he is my partner for a science project and I wanted to see if he could meet with me tomorrow morning to work on our presentation. We were suppose to meet tonight but clearly that didn't work." I said just hoping that she would buy the lie that I was feeding her.

"You and Noah are both in AP Physics?" She asked and I nodded.

"He likes science, what can I say?" I said completely having forgotten that it was Puck I was talking about.

"I don't believe you, but I am not going to push this any further. All I can say is that I hope you are respecting your sisters wishes and leaving her break up alone." Shelby said and I nodded.

"Of course, I would never go against what my sister would want." I said with a huge smile causing my mom to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, you would never dream of meddling."

* * *

 _A/n: Bear with me. I know that there has been a lot of Kennedy and little of Rachel and Shelby but believe me that will be changing soon...Rachel will be getting PLENTY of one on one time with Shelby shortly. :)_


End file.
